National Grid has renewed its 12-strong law firm panel for another two years, with all firms keeping their spots.

The FTSE 100 company confirmed that from 1 September all its existing panel relationships would continue until 2019.

The current renewed legal panel consists of Addleshaw Goddard, Berwin Leighton Paisner, Bircham Dyson Bell, CMS, Dentons, DLA Piper, Eversheds Sutherland, Herbert Smith Freehills, Irwin Mitchell, Linklaters, Norton Rose Fulbright and Shakespeare Martineau.

The decision to renew the panel rather than review it was made by group general counsel Alison Kay, general counsel and head of professional services Mohammed Ajaz, and UK general counsel Rachael Davidson.

The previous two reviews in 2011 and 2015 saw National Grid cut the number of firms on its panel while inviting new firms to join. In 2014, the company reviewed its existing lineup and opted to retain all advisers apart from Irwin Mitchell.

In the last review, the utilities company reduced its roster from 17 to 12 with Allen & Overy, BrookStreet des Roches, Fieldfisher, Hill Dickinson, Squire Patton Boggs and Walker Morris all losing out on a place.

However, three new firms were added to the roster in that review: Addleshaw Goddard, Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF) and Irwin Mitchell.

The review in 2015 identified a number of key priorities the utilities company needed from its legal providers. Those priorities included development and horizon scanning, relationship management, new technology, instruction protocol, KPIs and golden rules, and reporting and MI.

The panel lineup in full:

Development and horizon scanning: DLA and HSF

Relationship scanning: Linklaters and BDB

New technology: Irwin Mitchell and Shakespeare Martineau

Reporting and MI: Addleshaw Goddard and BLP

Instruction protocol: Eversheds Sutherland and Dentons

KPIs and golden rules: CMS and NRF

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